Traction-power-transmission mechanism



Oct. 26 1926.

E. w. GRAGERT TRACTION POWER TRANSMISSION MECHANISM Filed July-13. 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 jnvyar E. w. Gra e r7 i3] 712.: fliivnreys %@W WW m Oct. 26 1926.

E: W. GRAGERT TRACTION POWER TRANSMISSION MECHANISM Filed July 15, 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 Oct. 26, 1 26. 1,604,820

. E. w. GRAGERT TRACTION POWER TRANSMI$SION MECHANISM I Filed July 15.. 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 1,604,820 E. W. GRAGERT TRACTION POWER TRANSMISSION MECHANISM Oct. 26,1926.

Filed July 1:5, 1921 5 sheets-sheet 4 Oct 26 1926.

' 1,604,820 E. W. GRAGERT TRACTION POWER TRANSMISSION MECHANISM Filed July 13', 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet a By 292.: fllvormys" W YQ Patented a. as, was. httfiztt ELMER W. GRAGERT, OF MINNEAFOLIS, IVIINNESOTA.

TRACTION-POWEB-TRANSMISSIGN MECHANISM. H

Application filed July 13, 1921. Serial No. 484,336.

.My invention relates broadly to tractors or The numeral 16' indicates a drawhar, which traction-propelled vehicles. and provides a is pivoted or otherwise suitahly connected novel transmission mechanism or device conto the main frame 11. sisting of (Jo-operating rolling parts, which, The traction wheels 12 are connected to under the drawhar pull or drag, roll backthe mainframe and are driven from the 6" Ward, lift the load and cause the load, acting engine through novel mechanism that contherethrough, in part to overcome the drawstitutes the chief feature of this invention, bar pull or drag. The manner in which and which is here illustrated as follows: this is accomplishedwill hereinafter mrnre The traction wheel's 12 are loosely jourfully appear. naled on opposite ends of an axle 17, and 6 Generally stated, the invention consists of are provided with large internal gears 18. the novel devices and combinations of devices Flanged, so-called internal rollers 19 are hereinafter described and defined in the looselyjournaled on an axle 17 adjacent claim. 7 to the hubs of the traction wheels 12, and Several forms of the invention are illus-' are provided with external spur gears 20, 7

trated' in the accompanying drawings, as shown of annular form. p wherein like characters indicate like parts Running within theannul'ar flanges of the throughout the several views. rollers 19 and projecting outward thereof Referring to the drawings: are external rollers 21, the hubs of which; are Fig. 1 is a side elevation with someparts rigidly attached to a tubular axle 22 that 7% sectioned and with some parts broken away, loosely surrounds and'never has contact with illustrating a preferred form of the in-venthe central axle 17. These so-callecl-external tion applied to a tractor or motor-propelled rollers 21, at the lower portions, rest upon vehicle; and. frictionally engage with the flanges of Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section the internal rollers'19. r taken on the line 2'2"of Fig. 1; The numeral 23 indicates flanged ex Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 33 ternal rollers, the hubs of which are rigidly of Fig. 2; connected to an outertubular axle 24 that Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line e-e surrounds but never has contact with; the

30 of Fig, 2; tubular axle22. The flanges of these rollers Fig. 5- is a fragmentary side elevation of 23, at their upper portions, rest upon and a tractor illustrating a modified form ofthe have frictional engagement with the tops invention, some parts being broken away ofthe external rollers 21. i I

F lg. 6 is a fragmentary transverse section It is now important to note that the" in- 5 taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5; ternal rollers 19 support the-external rollers as Fig. Tis a View corresponding to Fig. 5, 21 and that said external rollers 21 support illustrating a still furthermodilied form 0- the external rollers 23. It is now alsoin1- the invention; portantto note that the main frame 11,. at

Fig. 8' is a fragmentary section taken on its rear end, has bearings 11 in which the- 4.0 the line 88 of Fig. 7; outermost tubular axle 24: iscarri'ed and,

Fig. 9' is a view partly in elevation and hence, that the main frame and its load are partly in vertical section illustrating a still carried directly on the said axle 24*andthat further modified form of the invention; and the weight thereofistransmitted to thetrac- Fig. 10 is a vertical section taken aption wheels 12 through the rollers23, 21 and proximately on the line 10 10 of'Fig. 9. 19. zen

Referring first to the construction i'll us At its intern'iediate portion, the outer trated in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, the numeral tubular axle 24 has a sprocket 25 overwhich 11 indicates the tractor frame, which is supand the engine-driven sprocket 1 5 runs. a ported at the rear by laterally spaced tracheavy driving chain 26. i tion wheels 12 and at the front by suitable The numeral 27 indicates intermediate steering wheels 13. Mounted on. the engine spur'pinions that mesh with; the internal frame 11 is a motor 14, preferably in. the gears 18 of the traction wheels 12 and with. form of a multi-cylinderexplosive engine, the spur gears 20 of the rollers 19 and, anda crank shaft which is geared or otherhence, transmit a driving power from the wise connected to a driving sprocket 15. drums to saidtraction wheels.

concentric,

It should also be noted that the external rollers 21 have materially less diameter than the interiors of the flanges of the co-operating rollers 19 and 23, which permits considerable forward and rearward movements of the traction wheels, axle 17 and drums 19. The gears 18 and 20 will always be held but to permit the pinions 27 to follow the same in their slight forward and rearward movements, said pinions must be free to float or move slightly forward and rearward with said gears. Hence, said pinions are loosely journaled on the transverse shaft 23, which is free to move slightly in slots 29 formed in hearings on the frame 11, (see Fig. 1). Operation.

The operation of the mechanism above specifically described is substantially as follows:

The power from the engine will be transmitted to the internal rollers 23 through the outermost tubular axle 24 and, in driving the tractor forward, will be rotated in the direc 'tion of the arrow marked adjacent thereto on Fig. 3, or, in other words, in an anticlockwise direction. Under the drawbar pull or drag, the rollers 21 will be caused to run backward and climb upward in the rollers 19, and the rollers 23 will tend to run backward and climb upward on said rising external rollers 21. This will lift or raise the rear end of the main frame and its load, and the weight of the load, acting under gravity, will tend to cause the main frame to lower and move forward. Hence, in action, there is always the weight of the load acting against the drawbar pull and tending to im- 7 pel the tractor or vehicle forward, thus, to a very great extent, overcoming the drawbar pull or drag.

In the construction just described, the transmission of power through the rollers is by frictional contact, but in other forms, by the use of gear teeth or the like, the transmission of power maybe made positive.

In the modified construction illustrated in Fig. 5, the rear traction wheels 12, as before, are loosely journaled. on the axle 17 but here the main frame 30 is hung on a jack-shaft 31, which is loosely hung from the axle 17 by arms 32, the upper ends of which surroundsaid axle 17 with considerable play.

Rotatively mounted on the axle 17, adjacent to the hubs of the wheels 12, are internal rollers 19, which have internal gear teeth 19. Secured on the ends of the jack shaft 31 are spur pinions 33, that mesh with the internal gear teeth 19 and have laterally spaced rollers or toothless surfaces 34, which run on the inner surface of the flange of the rollers 19 The play between the arms 32 and axle 17 permits the weight of the load on the frame 30 to hold the pinions 33 34 engaged with said rollers 19 as above ind1cated.

The ]ack shaft 31 will be suitably driven from the engine 14 carried on the main frame. Spur pinions 35 mesh with external gears 18 on the traction wheels. Of course, it should be understood that the pinions 35, like the pinions 27 of the earlier described construction, should be free to move slightly forward and rearward with the co-operating gears 36 and 18 lVith the construction just described, when the tractor or vehicle is driven forward, the pinions 33-34 will tend to climb upward on the lower inner surfaces of the rollers 19 and, hence, will lift the tractor frame and its load so that, to a very considerable extent, the same advantages are here present as pointed out in connection with the preferred construction earlier described.

The construction illustrated in Figs 7 and S is like that illustrated in Figs- 5 and 6, with the following exceptions:

The pinions 33, which are carried by the jack shaft 31, do not here mesh directly with the gear teeth 19, but mesh with intermediate pinions 37 that are journaled to'extensions of the arms 32 and in turn mesh with the internal gears 36 of the traction wheels. In a general way, the operation of this form of the transmission mechanism is like that of the construction illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6.

In the modified form illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10, four traction wheels 39, arranged in laterally spaced pairs, are employed and these are loosely journaled on the ends of axles 40 mounted in a supplemental frame 41 loosely ournaled on the axles 40, but secured to rotate with the adjacent traction wheels are external rollers 41. Riding frictionally on each cylinder pair of rollers 41 is an external roller 42. These rollers 42 are secured on the ends of axles 43 that are provided on their inner faces with internal roller flanges 44, so that said rollers 42-44 constitute combined external and internal rollers. V

Iioosely surrounding the axle 43 is a tubular axle 45, to the ends of which are secured external drums 46, which, at their lower portions, bear on the lower portions of the internal drum flanges 44. The main frame of the tractor is not shown, but has bearings 47, (see Fig. 10), in which the tubular axle 45 is jourualed. At its intermediate portion, said tubular axle 45 has a sprocket 48, over which. a power-driven chain, not shown, will run to transmit power to the traction wheels.

In this last described construction, under the driving force transmitted to the traction wheels through the friction-engaging rollers, the rollers 46 will tend to climb upward on the roller flanges 4A and, hence, will raise the tractor frame and its load with the advantages heretofore pointed out.

From the foregoing description and statements made, it is obvious'that this invention is capable of many modifications It is es pecially intended for use in connection with tractors or motor-propelled vehicles, but may also be found useful for other purposes.

The term or expression rollers is herein used in a broad and liberal sense to include any and all rotary elements or parts that have rolling contact, whether frictional or positive.

What 1 claim is:

A motor-propelled vehicle With groundengaging traction Wheels, a frame associated therewith, and co-operating rotary powertransmitting means having engaging internal and external cylindrical surfaces through which the driving force and draft strains are transmitted, said means being constructed and arranged to shift their contacting points to a higher elevation and in a direction tending to propel the vehicle forward, subjected to driving and draft strains.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ELMER W. GRAGERT. 

